Since it’s the beginning of a new year, now is the perfect time to up-level your writing life. What can you do that’s new this year, to make your writing practice more inspiring, more enjoyable, and more consistent?

I would like to suggest creating a writing altar.

What is a Writing Altar

*A writing altar is like any other altar you create for your own purposes and goals.* Photo by Elina Fairytale.

First things first, what exactly is a writing altar? That’s an easy one to answer; a writing altar can be anything you want it to be, but the purpose is pretty basic. A writing altar is meant to serve as a visual representation of inspiration, creativity, joy, and maybe a little magic, as it relates to your writing life.

Much like a religious altar, or an altar made to honor one’s deceased ancestors, the writing altar should be something that symbolically reminds you to keep writing and/ or helps you stay focused or motivated on a specific writing goal.

For me personally, whenever I’m feeling distressed or unmotivated by a writing assignment, I look over at my altar and I am immediately reminded of the literary ancestors who tread the path that I now follow. I’m also inspired by the bits of beauty and traces of Mother Nature on my altar, that simply serve to spark my creativity. My writing altar is meant to remind me that in addition to the discipline and consistency required to have a successful writing life, a little bit of magic can help as well.

What Goes On a Writing Altar

Deciding what to put on your writing altar is completely up to you. There is no one winning formula. And depending on your current writing project, you may need different things on the altar than say, me, or your writing bestie. But here are some things you might consider adding to your writing altar:

Maya Angelou Barbie is perfect for a writing altar — *I have both* *Maya Angelou Barbie* *and Ida B. Wells Barbie on my writing altar because they inspire me.*

Images of writers you love and admire.
If you’re lucky enough to admire a writer that has her own doll, like Maya Angelou Barbie or Ida B. Wells Barbie, you might want that doll on your altar.
Books written by writers who inspire you, or books that include inspiring passages that will help you stay motivated to write.
Printed out quotes that inspire you.
“Magical totems” ie pretty rocks, shells gathered from your favorite beach, crystals, fresh flowers, figurines of your favorite animals or characters.
Candles. I think candles belong on any altar, because fire is an essential element for making magic and setting a mood. Any candle will do, but it can also be a bookish candle with a picture or a quote from your favorite writer.
Postcards, letters, programs, etc from a favorite writer or bookish event. Or maybe it’s a postcard that a fan of yours wrote to you.
Copies of your own books, articles, or poems. Nothing says inspiration like the words you’ve already written and published.

At the end of the day, all of the items on your writing altar should serve a purpose. And that purpose should be to spark inspiration, motivation, joy, and/or confidence for your writing life. If a seven-figure book deal inspires you, put some dollar bills on the altar. If winning the national book award inspires you, mock up a medal for yourself and add it to your display. Every writer’s altar is as unique as the writer herself.

Where Do You Build a Writing Altar

There are no official rules about where or how to build your writing altar. The key thing is that your writing altar should live where you do most of your writing . So, if you write in your bedroom, that’s where your writing altar should be. If you have a little writing nook, or a writing shed in your backyard, put the altar close by, where you can easily see it while you’re working.

Remember, a writing altar doesn’t have to involve a big construction project. It doesn’t require building a table from virgin tree trunks. You can use a small table, a shelf on your bookcase, or even a little square of space on your desk. The altar can be as big or small as you need or want it to be. The main thing is that it is accessible to you when you write.

How Do You Use a Writing Altar

I know you’re tired of me saying this, but how you use your writing altar depends on you, the writer. And just like journaling, meditating, or manifesting, a writing altar works only if you work with it. Here are some ideas for how you can incorporate your writing altar into your writing practice.

The Vision Board Writing Altar

Create a writing altar that is full of images and products that correspond to your current writing project. Use the altar as a 3-D vision board for the story you’re trying to tell. Fiction or nonfiction, add photos of the people, places, and/or things in your story. Add the type of plants or vegetation that appear in the setting of your story. Find a perfume or cologne that your main character wears and add it to the altar. Maybe spray some before each writing session. If you’re working on a cookbook, include a recipe or a wooden spoon. The point is, for this type of altar, you’re creating something that provides a visual representation of the world you’re trying to create. Use this altar as a source of reference and visualization before you sit down to write.

The Magic Writing Altar

*You can make your writing altar as vivid and magical as you want.* Photo by Bruno Cervera:

Create a writing altar that leans heavy on magic and symbolism. Bring in images of your favorite literary ancestors, candles, sage to cleanse the energy in your writing space, maybe a deck of tarot cards to guide you on your writing mission. Maybe a glass of water or hard candy is added as offerings to the goddess of creativity. This type of altar might be used with some ritual, like lighting the candle and burning the sage before every writing session. One might also use this type of altar to place one’s writing goals, written on paper, in some sort of receptacle that you then ask your literary ancestors to bless. When those goals are met, you can burn the paper with the goals and give thanks, or some other ritual that is meaningful to you. Use this altar to add some rituals to your writing practice. For example, before you sit down to write, light a candle and pick a tarot card. To end your practice, extinguish the light and cleanse your tarot deck.

The Magpie Writing Altar

Create a creative writing altar that makes you feel magical when it’s time to write. For this altar, you have to tap into what lights you up. What sparks your creativity? Who are the authors you most admire? This is what I call the magpie altar, because, like a magpie who is attracted to shiny things, you’re adding things to your altar that attract you. In essence, you are creating your own magic and meaning with the things you like to collect. From candles to candy bars, from seashells to sugar packets from your favorite cafe in Paris or Peru. From your mother’s favorite fountain pen, to your grandmother’s handheld mirror, this is the altar that only has to make sense to you. Use this altar however you want to, but consider touching the things on the altar before sitting down to write to extract some of the collected magic into your writing spirit. (Note: Scientifically speaking, magpies are not actually attracted to shiny things. That is apparently a myth.)

Do Writing Altars Actually Work

Not everyone believes in magic, but if you are a creative writer you surely do. (If you doubt, I highly suggest you read Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic to restore your faith.) I mean, how else do you explain getting an idea in your head and then pouring that idea onto the page so that others can see what heretofore only existed in your imagination. If that’s not alchemy, I don’t know what is.

Therefore, calling on the creative spirits, with the help of a writing altar, seems like the right thing to do in our line of work. And the truth about magic is that it exists if you believe in it. So, if you believe that writing altars are, in fact, magical, and that they can help you have a more joyful and inspiring writing practice, then your altar will work for you.

Photo by Bruno Cervera: